Fitch has advice to give Williams

Kentucky Notebook

Posted: Sunday, February 17, 2002

By Josh Kendalljkendall@onlineathens.com

When Saturday's game had been decided and Georgia and Kentucky were walking from one end to the other to dispatch with some meaningless free throws, Wildcat sophomore Gerald Fitch offered a hand and a word of comfort to Bulldog junior Ezra Williams.

Williams' older brother, Antwanne, was shot and killed a week ago in Marietta. Fitch, a native of Macon, knows how Williams' feels. His older brother, George, was shot and killed on July 3, 1998, in Macon.

''I told him the only thing he could do was be strong,'' Fitch said. ''I couldn't give him any advice because I'm still going through it myself. He was very attentive when I was talking to him, so I think I helped him a little bit.''

Fitch has a gravestone with his brother's name, "R.I.P." and the date of George's birth and death tattooed on his left arm. He and Williams spoke for about 30 seconds at halfcourt.

''He said he knew what I was going through right now and it's tough,'' Williams said. ''He told me to stay strong and keep doing what I'm doing. It means a lot to me.''

Bogans still struggling

Keith Bogans, the Kentucky senior who tested the NBA draft waters before deciding to come back this season, isn't playing like pro material. He scored five points on 2-of-10 shooting.

''He doesn't seem to have the energy or the legs,'' Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. ''He didn't look very smooth when he went up to shoot it. It's been a long time for him.''

Bogans has scored in double digits just four times during the conference schedule. He was 1 of 7 from behind the 3-point line against Georgia.

Looking for the call

When Georgia's Chris Daniels clipped Kentucky's Chuck Hayes with an elbow in the second half, Hayes figured he'd try to take advantage of Daniels' recent stardom. Daniels was suspended for the first half of the game for an elbow he threw last week during the Auburn game.

Hayes said Daniels' elbow hit him in the temple but didn't hurt initially.

''I was hoping I could get a cheap (foul) on him,'' Hayes said.

However, his flop turned real when he wheeled his head around and his vision suddenly blurred. ''Everything looked purple,'' he said.

This and That

Point guard Cliff Hawkins was 2 of 10 from the field. ''When he has to put up a lot of shots, we struggle,'' Smith said. ... Fitch credited the Georgia crowd with an assist. ''(Georgia) played off the crowd,'' he said. ''The crowd was the big key.''

Hayes said the 'Cats changed their halftime warmup in hopes of changing their luck in the second half. It didn't work. Georgia went on a 9-2 run to start the half.